Research Project

Creating Walkable Communities through Zoning Regulations: Best Practices

Start Date

2016-08-01

End Date

2018-01-31

Abstract

A strategic priority of the CDC's Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity is to "Make communities more walkable through community design and planning." This strategy supported the 2015 campaign "Step It Up! The Surgeon General's Call to Action to Promote Walking and Walkable Communities." Being physically active is one of the most important steps that people of all ages and abilities can take to improve their health. Increasing people's physical activity levels will significantly reduce their risk of chronic diseases and premature death and support positive mental health and healthy aging.

The ways in which communities are designed and built can present barriers to walking. For communities that want to address those barriers, improving zoning policies are a key step. Community and street design policies are recommended approaches for increasing physical activity, including walking. Effective zoning policies such as complete streets and smart growth design have been identified and many communities have passed these types of policies. For those communities that have passed policies, or are considering passage there is an immediate need to develop translation materials to identify, pass, and implement these effective policies.

This research project translates the team’s findings from prior zoning research, Impact of Zoning Code Reforms on the Built Environment and Physical Activity Behaviors, into a suite of products that describe critical components of zoning regulations that are associated with increased walking and/or physical activity. The products will include fact sheets, definitions, zoning regulations, policy briefs, a webinar, and slide deck. These products are intended for use with grantees who work on environmental approaches to increase physical activity. This project will help insure that the zoning policies that are passed include the best elements to increase physical activity, once they are implemented.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention